


Maybe I'm Just Paranoid

by LizzyLovesPink



Series: Ship Song Drabbles #1 [8]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Drabble, F/M, Headcanon, Headcanon Name, Multiple Partners, Philanthropy, Philanthropy AU, Polyamory, Songfic, Victorian Attitudes, Victorian Culture, Victorian Fashion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24568213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyLovesPink/pseuds/LizzyLovesPink
Summary: Ciel takes Elizabeth out to the opera and a charity event, trying to establish their places in Victorian society as a noble couple. Everything seems to be going fine, except Ciel keeps running into his two old social projects and 'sugar daughters'. And most confusingly, the three all seem to be on good terms with each other?
Relationships: Ciel Phantomhive/Elizabeth Midford/Sieglinde/Sullivan/Doll, Ciel Phantomhive/Sieglinde Sullivan, Doll/Ciel Phantomhive, Elizabeth Midford/Ciel Phantomhive
Series: Ship Song Drabbles #1 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1775767
Kudos: 6





	Maybe I'm Just Paranoid

An opera wasn't really how Ciel saw himself spending his free night, but Elizabeth had gotten the tickets from one of her acquaintances and instantly thought of taking Ciel, to which he had to agree. It wasn't as if he disliked operas or anything, he just had a headache and wanted to spend his day in bed, and operas would just make the feeling worse. But it was Elizabeth's idea, so he'd go.

If he were being honest with himself, the show was actually quite decent. It was some adaptation of an Austrian work and was rewritten to be a romance in pastoral springtime, which Elizabeth obviously loved. She was dressed nicely for the season in a spring-green and carnation-pink dress with sprigs of flowers everywhere for the trim. After the show, they hung out in the sitting room, Elizabeth talking eagerly with some of the other ladies there while Ciel stayed by himself, trying to act preoccupied with the minimal selection of books on the shelf.

"Ciel! It's Ciel!" A familiar voice reached his ears, and Ciel spun around to witness himself getting ambushed by a tiny girl with mechanical spider-legs which resulted in them both toppling to the ground. "What a place to meet, huh?"

Sieglinde Sullivan, his most recent project. Saved from an abusive family, she now lived in the countryside with her servant and a young suitor who spoke her language as she was originally from Germany. She was set to attend a finishing school in the fall and had come a long way from when Ciel first encountered her.

"I never took you for a fan of opera," He gingerly stood and stepped back from her as she adjusted her walking-machine. She had abandoned her emerald lace and jade silk for cream and cerulean, bows in her cropped hair. She looked like a regular noble-lady not counting her spider-legs. And that was a problem.

"I've been trying to get myself into more fine culture. A lot of operas are German so they're easy for me to understand!" Sieglinde boasted. "A lot of them are quite explicit in certain implications, if you know what I mean,"

"Smile! Fancy runnin' into ya here!" Another voice reached his ears, and Ciel attempted to bolt before the owner of that voice arrived, dressed in a grey checkered dress with short ribbons tying back her long brown pigtails.

"Someone else I never took for a fan of opera,"

Doll, one of his first projects; Doll was her old name used at the circus he took her in from and learned afterwards that her real name was Vicky Greenchapel and she currently lived in town with another circus member she took with her; she personally worked as a governess. She was considered to be his first success in the world of philanthropy but the one he personally thought about the least. Smile was the name he used while undercover at the circus to scope out the environment and despite her knowing his real name she still insisted on using it for unknown reasons.

"Ciel? Who are these girls?" Elizabeth asked curiously, finally walking over. Ciel groaned inwardly and cleared his throat.

"Elizabeth, meet Vicky Greenchapel and Sieglinde Sullivan, two former projects of mine," He introduced nicely, and Sieglinde gasped happily.

"You're so beautiful! You look like a typical Victorian lady! Your hair! Oh! I love it! I wish I could have such pretty locks!" Sieglinde praised in slightly-broken English.

"She's right, you're an awfully pretty lady. When I was takin' my classes on manners and whatnot, you were who I was tryna be," Vicky nodded eagerly in agreement.

Elizabeth giggled, obviously a bit flattered. Ciel stepped back again and returned to the bookshelf, letting the three girls talk to each other. He wasn't surprised they got along so well, it was in the nature of girls to do so. He would occasionally peek over his shoulder however and catch one of them staring at him for a few seconds before returning to their conversation, making him frown.

Were they gossiping about him? Their voices had gotten noticeably lower. He looked down at the ground and realized all three were wearing white boots with small heels and buttons going down the back; they were shoes he had personally made for Elizabeth every year when she outgrew hers. Did he seriously give Sieglinde and Vicky the same shoes without realizing it? Or did they get those made themselves due to their admiration for Elizabeth?

No, he was thinking about it too hard. He slipped a French book out of its position and read the title, still listening for any signs of their conversation.

Same shoes...same ribbons in the hair...the same style of dress...even the same perfume?

He sniffed the air discreetly.

Yeah, they were all wearing the same rose-hip fragrance. He put the book back.

"Ciel! The girls were thinking about going to the bakery after this? We'd love to get some nice slices of cake or something," Elizabeth asked him nicely. "May we please?"

"Do I have to partake?" He asked, still feeling Sieglinde and Vicky stare at him from either side.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to, but we just thought-"

"Fine, I'll come. Only because the carriage isn't here yet," He stood next to Elizabeth and walked beside her while Sieglinde and Vicky followed slowly behind, still chatting with Elizabeth. He could still feel their eyes on his back everytime they shifted to a new topic and his features darkened slightly.

Surely it was just his imagination, right? There was no way his former 'projects' were jealous over him briefly dating them as part of the process and then spoiling his true fiancee with everything, right? But how could they be upset when he buys them all the same damn thing anyway?

He should've just stayed at home and nursed that headache.

*

And yet, despite Ciel's careful nature, it had happened again. He had taken Elizabeth to a charity event some random noble family was hosting, him in his usual dark blue while she lit up the room in her cerulean frills and jewelry the colour of a robin's egg.

"Ciel! I wasn't expecting to see you again!" Sieglinde's familiar voice reached his ears yet again once Elizabeth walked off to go talk to a friend, and he spun around when she tapped on his shoulder, revealing her wearing rich emerald and white lace in her short bobbed hair. Despite her disabilities, she had proven herself to be a worthy and important assistant to the queen, her young age notwithstanding. Her English only had a vague accent, and beside himself, Ciel had spoiled her greatly as if she were his own.

"Why are you here?" He asked formally.

"I'm nobility! It's important for nobility to attend events like these, right? I'm a baroness, remember?" She smiled happily.

He most certainly did remember; she obviously hadn't been born into nobility herself but he managed to secure a small fortune and countryside house that had made her so. It was difficult than it sounded due to most land in both England and the whole world in general had been claimed already by wealthy British families, but Ciel had connections. She lived there a majority of the time with a suitor who normally lived at his prep school and they only really spoke about science and physiology anyway according to her. Once she turned eighteen, the land would officially be hers and she could own it in her own name and not Ciel's.

"Whaddya know? Who do we have 'ere? A good friend of mine talkin' to another good friend o' mine!" Vicky grinned as she walked over, her hair still pulled into uneven pigtails as it always was. Despite not being noble either, it made slightly more sense for Vicky to arrive. She still lived in town and sold flowers and crocheted trinkets for a small bit of money, and amazed everyone on the weekends with her flexibility. Of course, she still had her usual governess job as well, but a girl had to be creative and talented in many areas to get money nowadays. It was clear she didn't think much of her newfound status, as she still talked how she did when Ciel first came upon her dehydrated beside a horse. Evidently she used to be a member of a traveling circus before she left them willingly due to circumstances she never even told him. He wasn't curious enough to pry and took her in. He investigated the circus himself later on, but didn't find out much else concerning her.

But still, for all three of his women to not only find him at the opera but a charity event too, dressed to the absolute nines at that? Yes, even Vicky was wearing a shade of red usually reserved for nobles, and he knew she hadn't stolen it, it fit her far too well to even be borrowed.

Were they possibly setting something up?

"Ciel! You didn't tell me you invited them!" Elizabeth gasped happily, finally coming back over.

"Because I didn't," He looked away as she took his arm again.

"After the event was over, we were thinking of visiting a cafe! Because I wanted some hot chocolate. Want to come with us?" She continued on cheerfully, and the other two girls nodded.

"Why not? We're all close," Sieglinde smiled.

"I haven't had street food in a while, so I'll gladly come," Vicky nodded, and soon Sieglinde had taken his other arm while Vicky placed her hands on his shoulders hard enough to make him blush. "Let's go!"

It was obvious to him then that the three of them had managed to set something up and humiliate him in someway. It was obvious. A small part of him told him he was just making things up and trying to explain away why three of his closest girls were in the same place at the same time dressed elegantly, in clothing he bought for them nonetheless, he remembered then, but he waved that part away.

It was far too strange to just be a mere coincidence. How else was he meant to explain how it happened to him twice in the same week?

**Author's Note:**

> Song: Paranoid by Ty Dolla $ign 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61gZiZ7IEYU


End file.
